Unrelenting airstrikes from Israeli fighter jets on Gaza, and barrages of Hamas rockets onto Israeli cities, have moved into a second week. On the Palestinian side, the death toll topped 200, including 59 children, as of Sunday evening. At least eight Israelis have been killed in the violence. As has been the case with previous wars between Hamas and Israel, civilians endure the brunt of the conflict.
“We are tired,” Haya Abdelal, a 21-year-old Gaza woman, told The Associated Press. She lives next to the building destroyed by an Israeli airstrike Sunday. She fled into the street after the blast woke her up. “We need a truce. We can’t bear it anymore.”
Both Israel and Hamas appear far away from the prospect of a cease-fire. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that his country’s bombing campaign on Gaza would continue at “full-force,” and that Israel “wants to levy a heavy price” on Hamas. The Washington Post quoted a senior Israeli military officer as saying there’s no evidence of Hamas standing down, and that Israel is bracing for a prolonged conflict.
That points to a tragic inevitability in coming days and perhaps weeks – more civilians will die, and more ruination and misery as a result.
Has President Joe Biden done enough to push both sides toward a cease-fire? Sadly, he has not. On Monday evening, the White House said Biden spoke with Netanyahu and expressed support for a cease-fire, though it wasn’t clear how forceful his tone was.